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california fashion
California Style Doesn’t Lend Itself To Easy Definition
By Ilse Metchek, President of the California Fashion Association
What is California style now? The answer is
no longer as simple as jeans and a T-shirt. The
state’s consumers have long brandished a personal style that’s as diverse as the demographics. “Anything goes” may as well be the official
mantra here.
This is the birthplace of blue jeans, Barbie, the fortune cookie,
martinis, hi-tech gadgetry and skateboards. And where would the
modern world be without any of these inventions?
Look at the recent collections: one of the most important
trends right now is the casual lifestyle. It is a rare show or
magazine that didn’t have a cargo pant, all going back to the
whole surf-skateboard thing, the ease of the lifestyle in California. Even the entire denim business is being driven by California style.
•19 of 27 automobile companies have their creative studios here.
•In furniture design and manufacturing, Los Angeles is second
only to High Point, N.C.
•The city is in the top five worldwide when it comes to designing and developing medical instruments and the state is among
the leader in food design, from restaurant dining to commercial packaging.
Although there are major fashion firms, from Levi’s to Gap, St.
John Knits to Guess, there is no 7th Avenue marketing ‘push’, and,
thus, New York continues to serve as this nation’s fashion media
capital. That hasn’t stopped Tom Ford, Versace, Valentino, Escada
and countless others to come here to photograph ad campaigns
(thanks to the year-round sunshine and wide ranging terrains) or
check out the Oscar Action.
From board shorts to red-carpet glamour to casual work wear,
trends originating in California have morphed through the fashion
world like a cloud.
I don’t think people are looking over their shoulder as much
here as they are looking in the mirror, and I mean that in a
positive way. They’re looking in the mirror and asking what
do I stand for? What do I want? We’re just a different mentality
out here.
It may come as no surprise that Californians are 39% more
likely to buy workout wear than other American women, according to MediaMark Research Inc. But it’s also true that 40%
of them are more likely to shop for evening dresses than the
rest of the nation.
Some say the world’s ongoing love affair with California lifestyle
speaks to a current desire for freedom of expression. Especially
in this economy, it’s what young people feel they want. They find
it in sportswear and street wear. It’s what’s comfortable to them
and what fits in their budgets.
The Golden State is a place where, historically, people come to
invent themselves. With that comes an intellectual freedom, and
a personal freedom. The cultural exchange among its population has also resulted in a fusion in not only music and food, but
also style.
California makes perfect sense with the recent movements towards personalization in fashion, towards vintage, embellishment,
and the return to the crafts movement.
Fusion is no novelty here; it’s a way of life. Blonde, blue-eyed
surfers share landscape with the largest population of people of
Chinese, Korean, Mexican and Vietnamese heritage outside of
those countries.
This preoccupation with youth is because the state also boasts
one of the largest teen populations, providing plenty of inspiration
for the junior, denim, young contemporary and action sports apparel markets.
California’s apparel industry workforce outnumbers that of New
York. In ALL matters of designs, the state’s role can’t be ignored:
California style is a metaphor for a way of living we all want.
It’s part of the American dream, in a way. We all secretly long
to sit on the beach and watch the surf roll in and the movie
stars go by.
F
M
Ilse Metchek
President
California Fashion Association
444 S. Flower Street, 37th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Tel: 213-688-6288
Fax: 213-688-6290
[email protected]
www.calfashion.org